1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for controlling a messenger in a terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a messenger control apparatus and method for allowing a user to selectively answer a specific chat phrase among a plurality of chat phrases in a messenger chat window in a terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Thanks to the combination of mobile telecommunications services and Internet services, users may wirelessly access the Internet on their terminal even while on the move, search a wide variety of Internet information and E-mails, and enjoy a variety of multimedia content such as music and videos. Based on these technical advances, the instant messenger services, which have been used in the wired Internet, are now available even via wireless Internet when using user terminals.
When messenger chat is carried out on a terminal in real time, the chat phrases through the messenger are displayed in a messenger chat window in chronological order.
However, in the case where the chat phrases through the messenger are displayed in chronological order, if a user of a terminal receives multiple questions from a counterpart terminal in a row and gives an answer to any one of the received questions, a user of the counterpart terminal may have difficulty in determining to which question the user of the terminal entered (or gave) the answer.
FIG. 1 illustrates a messenger operation performed in a second terminal B according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, chat phrases received from a first terminal A, which is a counterpart terminal, are displayed in the left side of the messenger chat window, while chat phrases entered in the second terminal B are displayed in the right side thereof.
If a user of the second terminal B enters one chat phrase after receiving four chat phrases from the first terminal A in a row as illustrated in FIG. 1, a user of the first terminal A may have difficulty in determining to which of the four chat phrases the chat phrase entered in the second terminal B is matched.
Therefore, the user of the second terminal B needs to annoyingly specify one of the fourth chat phrases when answering the chat phrase.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present invention.